Bracelets
by hetaliafan101
Summary: A 9/11 story. I wanted to get into the pain that the families of the victims felt rather than just the physical pain that Alfred felt, so I made up a human OC. No pairings, character death, and feels. Rated T for swearing, death, mature theme, and my own paranoia.
1. Flags

September 11, 2001

7:59

We had a meeting that day in one of the Towers. I brought along Chelsea, my adopted 6 year old mortal daughter, to the meeting since her babysitter was sick. Everyone loved her, she was so adorable after all. Of course, the meeting didn't accomplish anything, but do they ever? What with France groping Britain and Italy going on about pasta.

"Daddy, look what I made!" Chelsea held out a small bracelet of beads coloured like the flag while clutching her little brown teddy bear in her other hand. I smiled as I held it in my palm. She was one of very few humans that knew my secret along with everyone else's.

"Well that's very pretty Chelsea. Why don't you make one for Uncle...Uncle..." I chuckled, pretending not to know my brother's name like I always do.

"Funny America. Very funny." Canada faked a laugh. I kissed Chelsea's forehead before she ran over to him, her chestnut hair trailing behind her. "I did make you one, Uncle Mattie!" She slipped another bracelet from the pocket of her tiny light pink dress (when America adopted her Poland made a point of making her entire wardrobe pink.). This time, the bracelet was red and white, the white parts having a tiny speck that was almost a maple leaf in each one.

Canada beamed. "Thanks! It's very pretty. You ought to go into jewelry making when you get older, eh?." He stiffened slightly as she hugged him, and then wrapped his arm around her. A collective "awww" rose around the room.

Hungary danced over and lifted my girl into her arms. "So this is the little angel I've heard so much about. Oooouuu, America you're gonna have to watch for them boys when she's older 'cause they'll be lining up."

France grinned. "Ohonhonhon, I'll have to ask her out in a few years time." Everyone, especially me, glared. "I was kidding, mon amie."

Switzerland chuckled, surprising even himself, and turned to me. "Don't worry man, I've got a few shotguns I can let you use."

We laughed. I had a feeling I would have to take him up on that.

"Oh! Why thank you!" Hungary held up a bracelet stripped with green, white, and red.

Germany stared at it. "Isn't that the Italian flag?"

Chelsea looked closer at it. "Ooopsie, wrong one!" She took back that bracelet and retrieved a handful of bracelets from her pocket.

After she sorted all the bracelets out, she found the one with the Hungarian flag and gave it to Hungary.

"Oh my gosh thank you this has made my day. Now Austria, why didn't you get me any jewelry like this?" She laughed.

"I was just saving-"

"Yes Austria, you were just saving your money." She rolled her eyes turned to Chelsea. "Whatever you do, don't marry a stingy man." Chelsea giggled.

"Hopefully she won't have to worry about that for a while." I said.

Hungary turned to Japan. "Hey, I wonder if she'll be good with a camera." She winked furiously. I never did figure out what that was supposed to mean, or why Japan gave a few small chuckles at whatever idea had come into his head.

As it turned out, everyone in the room had gotten a bracelet, even a very stunned Russian.

"I...I don't... know what to say. Your little girl is the first child to like me since Ana, da?"

Poland looked at me curiously. "How does she, like, know all of these flags?"

"Dude, she's a nation's daughter." Even so, knowing that many of them was impressive for her age.

Britain was the last one to get one.

"Oh Chelsea, you didn't have to do that. But thank you just the same."

She looked up from tying the bracelet. "You're welcome, Grandpa Iggy!" Every single person in that room barely contained themselves. Britain's face flushed over madly.

"Your face looks like one of Lovi's tomatoes, Grandpa." Everyone lost it at that point and the room roared with laughter. Even Japan made no attempt to recompose himself by that point and Romano had to hold onto Germany to stand while the latter clutched his now hurting stomach.

* * *

8:28

Basically, the morning went on with none of our work getting done and none of us caring, not even Germany. I took Chelsea down to the play room long ago, now we were just laughing our heads off at randomness, mostly at "Grandpa's" expense. Austria was trying to persuade me to let him give her piano lessons, Prussia was telling me how awesome she was (like I needed to be told) the other normally serious nations were more relaxed and such. All because of my little angel, my real reason to be the hero.

8:42

I started to feel uneasy for some reason. I guess it was there for a while, but I hadn't wanted Chelsea to think something was wrong. I tried to push it aside, making plans for tomorrow to distract my mind._ Let's see, after his I could take Chelsea to get some clothes that are something other than pink, head to the park..._

8:44

The feeling still wouldn't go away.

8:45

Italy suddenly pointed to the window. "Look at that plane! Please don't tell me it's going to crash!" Everyone's gaze reverted to follow his. Indeed, a plane was flying dangerously low. My horror I realized it was actually going to crash.

So I should have known what would happen next.

8:46

The world stood still.


	2. Burning

The building shuddered violently as the plane connected with the building just two floors above our heads. My right side felt like someone had torn it out and then lit it on fire while poking me with hot branding irons. I collapsed on the floor, blood oozing from my body at an alarming rate.

"AMERICA!" Britain was at my side in seconds, followed by others.

"Oh non, Italy, go get some bandages!"

"Si!"

"Oh my god! Their jumping!" Hungary pointed to what remained of the window in terror. Austria took her hand and tried to soothe her.

"Oh Dio, so many people! What the fuck!?" Romano nearly cried and for once didn't object when Spain wrapped his arms around him.

A horrifying thought then struck me. Chelsea was still in the building!

"We have to go...Chelsea... downstairs..." _Oh good lord what if she's...no...can't think that way...she's alright...she has to be..._

"France and I will go after her. You can barely stand." Britain said urgently.

"I'm coming with you. She's my little girl!" With much painful effort, I concentrated on shutting out as much of my senses as possible, blocking out the towers. It would give me enough time to get to the playroom before the pain kicked in again. I then stood, clutching my side as it brutally protested my movement.

"Let's go." I said weakly. "You guys, try and get as many others as you can and get out!" The others nodded as they scattered. I knew they'd be alright, their countries after all, but the humans in the building weren't immortal. Neither was Chelsea. I shivered at the thought, no, fear that she was not okay.

Britain, France, and I got downstairs and started to search, all the while yelling out her name. There was no answer. I tore the rubble out of my way to get into each room, searching for the playroom.

Finally, we found it. Chelsea was huddled in a corner under a few boards and probably hadn't been able to hear us. I tossed the boards from her and checked her condition. Other than several nasty bruises and cuts that a doctor might need to look at, she was fine.

"Daddy the building's falling!" She cried as I held her tightly.

"You'll be alright. Don't worry." I wiped a tear from her face, and felt another shudder in the building.

We had started to run, me holding Chelsea as she was too shaken to walk at all, let alone keep up. For one moment, I truly believed we would get out, that nothing worse would happen. But then that moment ended.

10:28 am

The building collapsed beneath our feet.


	3. Death and Salvation

Screams rang through the building as it tumbled down beneath us. I held Chelsea as close to me as I could, using my body as a shield. By this time I could no longer block out the agonizing torture. It was all I could do not to scream as my other side finally, after some delay, ripped itself apart. Blood from my new wound gushed out, a rate that is scary even to us.

We hit the ground violently. I extented my free arm to ensure Chelsea wasn't crushed on impact. We had o get out of there, the building was going to hit us, but my body had become paralyzed. I could no longer feel my legs or my left arm, and my torso burned. Another wound had opened up in my back, but since it had nothing to do with the actual country I couldn't really feel it at all.

Chelsea looked up at me, tears in her eyes. "Daddy, you're hurt... so much...blood."

I tried my best to smile. "I'll be okay. I'm a nation, remember?"

She smiled, but there was something about it I couldn't place. "I just wanted to be sure."

_Something's wrong here._ I thought to myself. _Why does she seem so pale? Even with all that's going on, that's too much. It's almost as if..._ I looked down. The wound that had opened in my back was caused by a long piece of metal running through me.

And the end... had pierced...her heart...

Shock had overtaken her senses, leaving her oblivious to the pain her wound had caused. Her eyes slowly dimmed, losing their light as she whispered "Goodbye" before her soul left her damaged form.

My breath hitched in my lungs as my brain caught up with me. Chelsea was dead. She had _known_ she was dying._  
_

_No_

I called her name, praying I was hallucinating. Nothing.

_No!_

I looked for any vital sign to be found. There was nothing to find.

_NO!_

I lost it. I pulled the metal from me and biffed it as far as I could. I screamed and screamed, my cheeks over run by a storm of tears.

_No no no no no no no_

_It wasn't supposed to happen like this._

I had known that one day I would have to say good bye to her, seeing where she was human and I'm not. But she was supposed to live a long happy life, fall in love, get married, have her own children and pass away with a smile on her face. I thought I was prepared to say farewell when the tie came.

But she wasn't supposed to die in my arms as a child, killed in a terrorist attack.

_This is my fault. I brought her here. If I wasn't so stubborn Britain would have found her, and she wouldn't have died like this. What kind of hero am I?_

I pulled her frail body close to me as I sat up, the agony of my wounds forgotten and replaced by the tearing of my heart. Britain and the others found me a few minutes later, still clutching her body.

"Oh my god...America... is she...?" Instead of answering Britain's question, I just cried harder. The others gasped, tears of their own collecting in their eyes.

"VEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Italy screamed, crying into Germany's chest as the latter wrapped his arms around him, wiping his own eyes.

"...Nyet..." Russia's normally emotionless face betrayed sorrow. Austria and Hungary arrived at the scene with a couple of survivors and could only gap at what lay before them before Hungary hit her knees

I saw the bracelet, the one Chelsea had made from beads, lying on the ground below me. It had fallen off due to us crashing on the ground minutes ago. I picked it up and put it in my chest pocket over my heart.

* * *

_12 years later_

Several of us stood before a grave in the center of the cemetery. It was adorned with a wreath of lilies, Chelsea's favorite flower. I remember how my house used to be full of vases containing lilies. Ever since that day, hasn't been one to be found around the place.

Canada smiled sadly, his beaded bracelet worn on a chain around his neck. I kept mine in the same place, as close to my heart as possible. Never once did I ever take it off in the last 12 years. In fact, anyone who was there before...before it happened kept their beaded bracelet on a necklace. It wasn't every often an ordinary human captured the hearts of the nation personas.

France put his hand on my shoulder. "Mon amie, you will see her again. Reincarnation does happen, you know. I've seen my Jeanne several times over the centuries." He pulled me into a hug that for once wasn't meant to be perverted or anything.

After sitting by the stone a good hour after everyone had left, I stood, getting ready to walk over to the site of the crash. As I had been about to cross the road, however, a little girl in the corner of my eye stopped me in my tracks.

If I hadn't known that my little girl was in the cemetery behind me, I would have sworn it was her. She started to cross the road over to where a local ice-cream shop was with her friends, but she had stopped to pick a lily that was somehow growing from the cement.

Just as a van was speeding down the road.

I propelled myself after her, pulling her out of the way. I was barely just in time; the van had just clipped my feet as I jumped out of the road with the strange girl in my arms.

I stood on the side walk and set her down. A couple, I assumed to be her parents, came running up.

"Oh my gosh thank you sir!" The father breathed out as he pulled the little girl into his arms.

"We wouldn't have made it!" The mother cried.

"There's no need to thank me. I know what it's like to be too late for my little girl."

A saddened look crossed their eyes. "Oh...I'm so sorry." They said in unison.

I smiled sadly and continued to walk towards the crash site. only now, I feel like a very large weight had been lifted. I couldn't be Chelsea's hero in her last life. The fact that I could be her hero in this life seemed to settle me. For the first time in years, I was truly happy.


End file.
